We Meet Again
by PhoenixDawnBou
Summary: After the bus crash, Veronica is determined to discover who was responsible for those deaths. Keith calls in some old friends, since this case is looking more and more supernatural. Multi Chapter. Written for 9lives-4eva, who gave me the idea. Rated t for language and a little content.
1. Chapter 1

Veronica stared moodily at the papers in front of her. She was at her desk at Mars Investigations, supposedly doing homework, but she couldn't concentrate. She knew that Keith had called in a specialist to come take a look at the bus crash case, but he wouldn't tell her anything else. Just that the specialist was an old family friend who might be able to help crack the case. She'd thought she'd been given tacit permission to dig into the bus crash; seven of her classmates, and one teacher, had died. Meg Manning was comatose in the hospital right now, the only survivor. Veronica herself should have been on the bus; it was a minor miracle that she hadn't been. It felt personal to her. She needed to find who had done this and make them pay.

Plus, she needed the distraction. Duncan had broken up with her a couple days after the bus crash. She knew he felt as guilty as she did about Meg. Probably more, because Veronica hadn't actually _done_ anything to Meg, except take up with her ex boyfriend. Duncan had broken up with Meg on the last day of school. Veronica had still been with Logan then so it hadn't mattered to her, but it seemed to matter to Meg. She'd gotten cold to Veronica but not exactly hostile. Hostility came after Veronica broke up with Logan, and then, a couple weeks later, started seeing Duncan again. The year before, Meg was the only 09er Veronica could call a friend; over the summer, Meg was the only who was openly hostile. And now there was no chance of fixing things, because Meg was comatose and no one knew if she'd wake up or not. And that was very personal to Veronica.

She'd heard that Duncan spent almost every afternoon at the hospital, visiting Meg. Madison Sinclair had gleefully rubbed that little bit of gossip in her face only that afternoon. Madison was an evil harpy in designer clothes, but Veronica also knew Duncan. He was the kind of guy who would spend every afternoon at his ex's bedside, especially if he felt responsible.

Before she could brood too deeply about that, two guys came into the office. She sat up, trying to look professional. Her eyes collided with warm green ones, and it was a good thing she was sitting down. She was momentarily speechless. This guy could not be real. It was not possible for a person to be that gorgeous and sexy. And she'd grown up in Neptune, home of athletes, movie stars and moguls. People who made a living on gorgeous and sexy. She was used to pretty, perfect looking people. But this guy was something else completely. Not manufactured good looking like the rest of Neptune, but real, rugged, unbelievably good looking. She took a deep breath, hoping he wouldn't notice, and turned her eyes to the other guy. This time her eyes met liquid brown eyes that were earnest with a hint of pain. She felt the urge to hug him, to tell him it would be okay. Or to let him hug her and tell her it would be okay. Anyway, there would be hugs, and they would be good, kind, comforting hugs.

"Can I help you?" she asked in her professional secretary voice.

"Yeah, we're looking for Keith Mars." Brown Eyes said.

"Oh. He just stepped out. He'll be right back." She studied them, and then took a shot. "You're the specialists?"

"Yeah. I'm Sam, this is Dean." Dean grinned at her and she couldn't help grinning back. Sam sat down on one of the couches in the waiting area, Dean leaned against the desk. He looked at her with a glow of appreciation that brought a slight blush to her cheeks. She avoided looking at him and focused on Sam.

"So what do you specialize in?" She asked. Dean's grin got marginally wider.

"Sweetheart, I specialize in a lot of things." He said, his eyes catching hers. His eyes and his smile suggested all kinds of things. Fun things. Not-necessarily-clothed things. She felt her body heat up under his gaze. His smile softened a little and a knowing look came into his eyes. Like he knew that she'd be all over him in a second. _Fuck that_, she thought as she slowly smiled back.

"Like what, _honey_, cheesy pick up lines?" She retorted, holding his eyes. Sam let out a laugh at that. Dean, a little annoyed at being laughed at, conceded her the point with a slight nod and half a grin.

"We look into cases that are… weird. Stuff that's hard to explain." Sam said when he got himself under control. Veronica processed that. She didn't know exactly what he meant, but it sounded right for the bus crash.

"What do you know about the bus crash?" She asked. Dean shrugged, readjusting his position on the desk.

"Just what Keith told us. A lot of people dead, mysterious circumstances, no suspects." He said, switching into working mode.

"Well. Our illustrious sheriff is trying to pin it on the bus driver." She said. She had no respect for Lamb. He was incompetent and always took the easy way out. The evidence against Ed Doyle had been circumstantial at best, but Lamb had immediately run to the media and screamed "CASE CLOSED!" Veronica knew that wasn't the end of it; this was Neptune, nothing was cut and dried.

"You don't think it was the bus driver." Sam said, interested.

"He was going to leave his wife. His 'suicide note' was a Dear John to her." Veronica said. "I know his daughter and I talked to the mistress. With even a little bit of capable investigating, Lamb would know that."

"So do you have any suspects?" Dean asked. She shook her head frustrated.

"Well. Maybe. But-"

As if on cue, Keith came into the office right then. He looked at Sam and Dean and smiled, recognizing them.

"Look at you guys, all grown up." He considered as Sam stood up. "Really grown up." Sam smiled and held out a hand to Keith.

"Yeah, that usually does happen over time." He said. "Nice to see you again, Keith." Dean moved away from the desk and also shook Keith's hand. Keith put on hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. It was a fatherly, caring gesture. Dean had thought Sam would be the one to elicit that kind of fondness; people usually thought Dean was cocky and arrogant or, at the very least, as together as he liked to project. But Keith saw through that. And he remembered Keith quietly asking him "And you're _okay_ with that, Dean?" the last time they'd seen each other. His voice had been compassionate and gentle, no hint of judgement. Keith took his hand off dean and led them into his office. Veronica got up to follow them in. She was just shutting the door when Keith spoke.

"Shut the door on your way out, Veronica." Sam and Dean exchanged a look, Dean chagrined and Sam amused. They remembered Veronica as a 7 year old in pig tails, dragging a stuffed pony everywhere with her. Dean was never going to hear the end of this.

"Dad." She said, standing her ground. Keith looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "It's my case too." He stepped around the desk, going towards Veronica.

"This is a private consultation, Veronica. If they decide to take the case, I'll fill you in." Keith said. Another protest rose to Veronica's lips, but Keith spoke. "Veronica, just this once. Because I'm your father and like to think I sometimes still know best." Veronica looked at him.

"You always say that." She muttered, not quite ready to concede.

"I'm still the Mars in the Investigations, Veronica. If I want to have a private consultation, I can." Keith said. The words were a little annoyed, but there was affection behind them too. Like he found her stubbornness and headstrong ways endearing.

"So I should just sit at my desk and look pretty." Veronica said, but she was teasing now.

"don't sell yourself short. You can look pretty _and_ answer the phone." Veronica smiled at him and left the office. She was pretty sure that even if Keith wouldn't tell her what this was about, she could get Sam or Dean to.

Keith outlined the case for Sam and Dean. They listened to the details, trying to make sense. It was definitely weird, but Sam was unconvinced that it was their kind of weird. He glanced at Dean. He was resentful that Dean had insisted on coming back to California. After what had happened to Jess, he never wanted to be in California again. He didn't want to think about Stanford or Jess's terrible death. He just wanted to find John and whatever had killed Jess. He wanted revenge for her. And here Dean was, chasing… not a ghost, a ghost they could handle, but… memories. A part of him wanted to be fair to Dean; an old family friend had called, and you always went to help a friend. That was part of one of John's rules: save as many people as you can. It was a rule that seemed good on the surface, but when it involved California and painful memories of his former life, it was hard to obey. And he'd always had trouble obeying John, even in the best of circumstances.

"You're thinking possession." Dean said. Keith nodded. "Not the bus driver, but someone else. Maybe." He glanced at the door to make sure it was shut. He didn't want Veronica to hear him.

"You should take a look at Logan Echolls. He's had a rough year." Both Sam and Dean nodded; the implosion of the Echolls family had been splashed across tabloids and sound bites for the last year, starting with Logan's bum fights, Aaron's infidelities, Lynn's disappearance, and then both Logan and Aaron accused of murders. Logan's case had been declared a mistrial, but Aaron was still waiting for his to come to trial.

"Has his behavior changed? Loss of memory?" Sam asked, getting interested.

"You'd have to talk to his friends about his behavior, but… he doesn't remember what happened on the bridge. Your dad only told me a little bit about what it is you do, but he said that people in a high emotional state are targets for possession. Logan was in an emotional state." Dean nodded; they'd look at the Echolls kid.

"Anything else?" Sam asked, processing the information.

"I don't know. This is your area. But Veronica did say she thought she saw Lily the day of the bus crash." Keith told them. "She said she saw Lily run around the corner of the convenience store. That's why she missed the bus." Sam and Dean exchanged a look. A possible ghost, or a possible possession. Both people who were tied to Veronica. Awesome, Dean thought.

"We'll take a look at the Echolls kid tomorrow." Dean said. "Sam can look into the Lily thing." Keith nodded.

"Thanks." Keith said. His eyes went to Sam. "I'm sorry about Stanford, Sam." He said quietly. Sam froze for a moment, and then slowly met Keith's eyes. There was only compassion and warmth there. He didn't know that his own eyes often had that look, but he appreciated the sentiment. He gave a slight nod to Keith.

"Yeah, me too, Keith." His voice crackled with pain, but he tried to control it.

"We're staying at the Camelot." Dean said, hurrying away from the topic. "I'll give you our numbers so you can get in touch. We can reach you here?"

"Yeah." Keith said, moving his eyes away from Sam. "I'll give you my cell number too."

"Okay. We'll see you tomorrow." Dean said, standing up. Sam rose to his feet as well. Keith smiled at them.

"You boys want to join us for dinner? Home cooked meal." He said. "Well. We'll pretend it's home cooked." They smiled at him. Dean's eyes slid to Sam. Sam nodded.

"That'd be nice, Keith." Sam said, his smile coming back. "Just like old times, huh." Dean moved towards the door, Sam following. They went back to the reception area. Veronica looked up at them.

"So are you taking the case?" She asked eagerly. Dean nodded.

"We're going to look into it, yeah." He said. Her eyes lit up.

"Good." She said. She couldn't resist half a smile back at him.

"Tomorrow, though." He said. She nodded, a little disappointed. He grinned to himself, he could not resist teasing her. "Tonight… tonight you're a lucky lady, Veronica." His voice dropped lower and he leaned towards her. "Tonight you get to take me home." There was a hot spark in his eyes that made her cheeks flush and warmth rush all over her. Veronica couldn't think of anything to say, and his mischievous smile got deeper. Sam coughed violently.

"They're coming over for dinner tonight." Keith said from the doorway of his office, his voice even but his eyes on Dean. Veronica dropped her eyes from Dean's, an embarrassed flush in her cheeks. Dean didn't meet Keith's eyes.

"We'll see you in a bit, I guess." He muttered. Sam didn't bother to hide his laughter as they left the office.

"Dude, you were totally busted." Sam said once they were in the Impala. He still hadn't stopped laughing. "You should have seen your face!" He guffawed again. Dean shot him a hard look and started the impala.

"Shut up." Dean said. Sam stopped laughing, his face getting more serious.

"Dean. You know… you know Keith would kill you if you touched her, right?" Sam said. "Don't even think about it."

"I'm not. Shut up." Dean answered.

"Really, Dean. Jailbait." Sam insisted. Dean sighed.

"Sammy, I swear to God-" But Sam laughed again.

" 'Like what, _honey_, cheesy pick up lines?' Oh God, Dean, I'm never gonna let that go." Sam said, sinking into the passenger seat.

"She's 18." Dean said.

"What?"

"She's not jailbait. She's 18." Dean said. "I can count. She was seven the last time I saw her, so that makes her 18 now."

"And that's exactly why Keith will kill you. And I'm not speaking metaphorically, Dean. He will literally kill you dead." Sam said. Dean shook his head as they pulled into the Camelot parking lot.

"Bitch." Dean said, thoroughly annoyed.

"Jerk."

The Mars apartment was small but homey. It was comfortable. Veronica leaned on the kitchen island, eating a slice of pizza and listening to Dean tell Keith about his father John. How he was missing. How they were trying to track him down. Though he was stating facts, she could see the worry and pain in his eyes. She knew what that felt like; when Lianne, her mother, had left the year before, she'd been desperate to find her. She had eventually tracked Lianne down, but things hadn't quiet worked out the way she'd planned. She hoped things would go better for Sam and Dean.

"The trail is cold now, but we're still looking." Dean said. "We're also taking on other jobs to stay busy. And maybe we'll find a new lead." Sam huffed an annoyed breath. Veronica turned her eyes to him. He had a moody expression on his face, but when he saw her looking, he dropped his eyes and picked up another slice of pizza.

"I'm sorry, Dean. I hope you do find him. I'll keep my ears open." Keith said.

"Thanks, Keith." Dean said. There was a moment of silence.

"Hey. Veronica." Sam said. She looked at him. His eyes were earnest and his face a little sad. She felt the urge to hug him. _It's like his super power,_ she thought with a smile. "What happened to Mr. Sparkles?" Her mouth dropped opened and then she laughed.

"how do you know Mr. Sparkles?" She demanded.

"I stayed with you guys when I was eleven. You dragged that thing everywhere." Sam glanced at his brother. "She totally loved it, it was this stuffed pony with a rainbow tail and a sparkly mane." A memory suddenly swam to the front of her mind. A younger, smaller Sam with the same earnest brown eyes, telling her that he thought Mr. Sparkles was actually **Mrs.** Sparkles, because of the giant pink bow. And crying until Sam admitted that it really was **Mr.** Sparkles. He'd hugged her awkwardly around the shoulders, and whispered "Don't cry Veronica. I'm sorry, okay?" The solid but somehow gentle squeeze of her shoulders. She wasn't entirely sure, but she also kind of thought he'd kissed her forehead the way Keith always did.

"Sammy? You're… you're my Sammy?" She said, and laughed again. "I asked my parents forever if I could have a big brother just like Sammy." And she couldn't help but stare at him, trying to remember more about that Sammy she had adored. He was older than her, but gentle and patient with her. He talked to her like she mattered. He took an interest in her small world and threatened to kick the neighbor boy's ass for pushing her and making her scrape her knees. He'd solemnly checked her closet for monsters and told her it was okay, there was nothing there. And offered to watch by her bed all night to make **sure**.

Sam remembered being amazed by Veronica. How innocent she was; when she told him she was scared of the monster in her closet, he'd checked (just to be sure; one of John's rules was you could never be too careful) and told her it was okay. But she'd told him a whole story about the monster in her closet, her eyes round and her voice hushed. And he knew it was all her own imagination; nothing she said had anything to do with any lore he'd known at the time. He was amazed that even a normal kid could be scared like that, could make up such an elaborate story and believe it. He'd been fascinated by how normal she was. He'd loved that bout the Mars'; they were normal, and happy, and loving. Veronica, the product of such a home, was endlessly intriguing.

"It was months before she stopped asking for a brother just like you." Keith said to Sam. Sam smiled shyly at Veronica. He didn't think he'd have made such an impression, not on a girl who had such a perfect life.

"Sammy. I can't believe I didn't recognize you."

"No one calls me that anymore." He said quietly, aware of Dean's surprise to hear someone else call him Sammy. Veronica caught the current between them and changed the subject, but her eyes flashed warmly at Sam.

"Mr. Sparkles met his fate in fifth grade. It was tragic." She said. "He was left behind at a sleepover and he was never seen again."

"Did you investigate?" Dean asked, his voice serious but his eyes teasing. "Did you follow all leads? Because it sounds like Mr. Sparkles was important to poor Sammy here." Sam kicked at Dean good naturedly. Dean stayed out of his reach, grinning.

"The police department did all it could." Keith said. "We had two deputies on it- me and my partner- but no trace was ever found. With more manpower, maybe we could have found him, but alas."

"That's a tragedy." His eyes went ot veronica. "I'm sorry for your loss, Veronica. It must have been devastating."

"It **was**." She answered. "I've been asking for another pony ever since, but Dad won't get me one."

"What a deadbeat." Dean said, his eyes flashing wickedly. She grinned back at him, and Dean forgot for amoment that she was too young for him. That she was the daughter of an old family friend. He leaned towards her, his grin melting into a devastatingly intimate smile. "I know a guy who knows a guy, I could take care of that pony problem for you."

"What are you going to do, make him an offer he can't refuse?" She asked. Dean outright laughed, delighted she'd understood the reference. His eyes warmed and she glowed at him. Sam was overtaken by a violent coughing fit again, andVeroinca sudden;y leaned away from him, taking her eyes away from his. He realized that Keith was across the table, and probably carrying a firearm, and he leaned away too. _Yeah. Because this isn't awkward._ She thought to herself.

"Anyway. It's nice to catch up and stuff, but I have homework. I'll see you guys tomorrow." She said, escaping to her room. She leaned against the door, listened to Keith offer them both a beer and be refused. She heard them saying goodnight, and the apartment door close. She sighed. What the hell was wrong with her? She'd just been overexcited about discovering Sammy, she'd gotten carried away with Dean because she'd been so overwhelmed. She didn't even like Dean. With his cheesy pick up lines and his stupid muscle car and his mullet rock. Besides, he was way, way, **way** too old for her. Keith had freaked out over Leo, who was 2 years and a bit older than her. He would have a conniption about Dean. There was a knock on her door, and she reluctantly opened it. Keith was standing there- of course- his face completely neutral.

"Veronica." He said, his tone warning. _Here it comes_, she thought. "Sam is going to meet you at school during lunch. He needs to look into some things with case, and he'll blend in better." Veronica nodded, getting the unspoken message. Dean was definitely, completely off limits.

_Later. She was in the back seat of Dean's stupid muscle car, except it wasn't stupid. It had beautiful flowing lines and its shiny black coat was beautiful. Obviously the car was Dean's pride and joy. Not that she cared that much about the car right now. Dean's hands were on her, his lips trailing down her neck, his breath warming her skin and making her shiver at the same time. He whispered her name and she could feel him smiling. She ran her hands over his chest and down his sides, the muscles smooth beneath her hands. He lifted his head and kissed her, and she pressed against him, making a small moaning sound. His arms tightened around her and his kiss deepened. She felt like she could get lost in those kisses, give herself up completely in the pleasure of it. He pulled away for a moment to look at her, grinning his roguish smile, his eyes hot. Then he kissed her again, sliding his hands down her sides and to her hips._

_"I want you." He said, his voice a low growl. "Now." He said, reaching for the zipper on her pants._

Veronica woke with a start, her body buzzing from the dream. She took a shaky breath, trying to push the dream away, trying to subdue her humming nerves. _Oh shit. _She thought.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's note: this chapter is angsty. i wanted to get a lot of information out in this chapter, and it all came out angsty. there's banter and a little bit of fun near the end, so hopefully you like it. and Sam and Veronica want to be BFFs. BFFs who hug all. the. time. anyway. enjoy this chapter, and I'll try to get the next update out faster :) _

* * *

"Sammy!" Veronica called. Sam was standing at the bottom of the stairs leading to Neptune High's parking lot. He was blending in in jeans, a shirt, grey hoodie zipped half way up, and a back pack over one shoulder. He smiled she he saw Veronica. She went to him, smiling.

"Hey Veronica." He said, looking down at her. She laughed at their height difference.

"You know, I remember you much smaller." She said. "You weren't actually that much bigger than me."

"Yeah. I had a growth spurt." He shifted, giving the impression of being uncomfortable with his size. She laughed again and took a playful swing at him. She couldn't help it; he was like a giant playful puppy. He swayed out of her reach.

"Oh no, Veronica. Please don't hurt me." He said. "I don't think I can handle that kind of pain." She swatted at him again, and he caught her wrist, pulling her into a half hug. He squeezed her shoulder with one arm, solid but gentle, the way she remembered. She smiled up at him and returned the hug.

"So tell me what you're looking for." She said. He dropped his arm from her shoulder.

"I…can't." He said, his face getting serious. "Your dad said-"

"Veronica!" Veronica shot Sam a reproachful look and turned her head to see who called her. She saw Mac at the top of the stairs.

"Hey Maccy! What's the haps?" She asked, stepping away from Sam. She started back up the stairs, Sam a step behind her.

"The usual. Taking over the world, hatching evil plots." Mac's eyes went to Sam. "Hi. I'm Mac." She said. Veronica grinned.

"This is Sam." She said. "My cousin." Sam's eyes narrowed slightly at the lie, but he let it pass. "He's visiting for a few days. Sam, this is Mac, evil genius and tech support."

"Evil genius? You don't look sinister." He said, smiling at her. She smiled back, slightly wide eyed.

"Don't let my appearance fool you. I'm full of evil." She said.

"Yeah, she looks nice, but you should hear about the purity test." Veronica said. "She made a fortune from that."

"I saw an opportunity." Mac said, steepling her fingers under her chin. "I exploited it." She looked at Veronica. "And the 09ers totally deserved it."

"What's a purity test?" Sam asked. Veronica explained that Mac had posted a test online, one that had you answer questions about how "pure" you were. The lower the score, the less pure you were. Then Mac had charged ten dollars a pop for test results. Anyone could buy anyone else's test result, and it had created havoc at school. Someone had taken the test in Meg's name and had scored low. Meg had faced days of ridicule and her boyfriend Cole had broken up with her over it. She'd asked Veronica for help, and Veronica had cleared her name. They'd been friends then, and Veronica missed her.

"That's actually pretty genius." Sam said admiringly. A blush colored Mac's face as they walked to Neptune's outdoor cafeteria.

"Yeah. It bought me a new car, so. I enjoyed my ill-gotten gains." She answered.

"So you and Veronica are kind of like the evil masterminds of Neptune High?" He asked. Mac shook her head.

"I wouldn't say masterminds. I'd say subversive elements." Mac said. Sam nodded.

"Sticking it to the man." He said. "I like it."

"Well, not 'the man' so much as the 09ers. And sometimes Van Clemens." Mac said. Sam knew that 09ers were the kid who lived in the prestigious 90909 zip codes. Their parents were movie stars and athletes and business moguls. They had everything, and apparently they liked to keep status quo. They very rarely accepted outsiders; Veronica had gotten a pass because Lily Kane had been her best friend and Duncan had been her boyfriend. After Lily's death, Veronica had sided with her dad against the rest of the town when Keith had accused Jake Kane of murdering his own child. She'd been outcast and still hadn't really been forgiven. Even dating Logan and then Duncan hadn't cleared her.

But the rest of Neptune High, the kids of the gardeners and house cleaners and drivers of the 90909 zip, hadn't forgiven Veronica to running back to the rich kids as soon as they'd take her. In their eyes, that's what she'd done. Weevil had accused her of "giving it up" to 09er boys for popularity and acceptance. That hurt; the year before, she'd formed a friendship with Weevil, not a small feat, considering that he was the leader of the PCH gang. He didn't have friends, he had allies and enemies. But they'd become friends, and she'd trusted him on more than one occasion, and he'd come through for her. But now he wouldn't speak to her. At first it was because she'd stood by Logan throughout the trial. That seemed like a clear message: she chose the 09ers. But she really had believed that Logan hadn't killed Felix. And then the bus crash happened. Six of the seven kids on the bus were poor, one of them a PCHer. Weevil barely acknowledged her existence now, and if he did it was only to insult her.

At least she still had Mac and Wallace. Though Wallace was chasing Jackie Cook, the latest addition to the 09er crowd. Just like the 09ers, she was spoiled and bitchy and so entitled it would be funny if it wasn't so maddening. She was from New York; her mom was a model who'd had a fling with Terrence Cook , the greatest player to ever wear a Neptune Shark uniform. He was retired from baseball now, and there was talk of him being inducted to the hall of fame. Veronica had met him the day of the bus crash and he'd been nice. Obviously Jackie hadn't inherited that trait.

"Um, Earth to Mars?" Mac said. She turned to her friend; she'd been lost in thought.

"Sorry." She muttered.

"Mac was just telling me all the dirt on you." Sam said. "It's been so long since I saw you, Mac's really filling me in."

"Just a few dark secrets of your past." Mac said. "No biggie. I just told him about the time you blackmailed the governor." Mac was joking; Veronica hadn't done any such thing. She didn't know the governor, for one.

"Mac, you swore you would never tell. 'I'll take it to my grave', I believe were your words." Veronica said, trying to shake off her heavy mood.

"I'm sorry. His powers of interrogation are strong."

"These are not the secrets you are looking for." Veronica intoned to Sam. He laughed at her, his eyes sweeping the cafeteria.

"Are you guys going to eat lunch?" He asked. His eyes flicked to 09er table. Veronica glanced in that direction. Duncan's back was stiff, his shoulders set. She wondered briefly what was wrong. She saw Cassidy Casablancas glance at her and then quickly away. _Does Duncan think…?_ She thought, glancing at Sam. She tried to see him as he'd appear to other people. Tall, insanely tall, well-toned- obviously he worked out- and good looking to a fault. His brown eyes were warm and full of amusement, his hair adorably floppy. He looked at her affectionately, watching her reactions, and making her smile. Of course to her he was practically family. But no one else would know that. Duncan certainly wouldn't. _Dammit._ She thought. The last thing she wanted was for Duncan to think she was dating someone else. She stood up.

"I'm… I'm not really hungry." She said. Sam watched her, his eyes suddenly very concerned. He glanced back at the 09er table, looking for signs of danger.

"Are you all right?" He asked in a low tone. She nodded.

"I'm just going to… I need something from my locker." Mac, who'd understood more of the situation than Sam did, only nodded. Sam stood up.

"I'll come with you." He said. She shook her head.

"I'll be right back. Stay here with Mac. She can tell you more of my darkest secrets." She said. His face got stubborn, but she shot him a pleasing look. He conceded with a slight nod and she walked away. She let her feet carry her to her locker, not paying attention to what she was doing. She leaned against her locker and shut her eyes, fighting the sick feeling rising in her chest. She tried to tell herself she didn't care what Duncan thought, that he'd made it clear that he didn't care about her so she didn't care about him, but it was useless. She debated going to talk to him, but rejected the idea. What could she say? It's not what you think, I know it looked like me and Sam have something going on, but you have to know I still love you? Anyway, when had she become such an emotional wreck? Why did what other people thought of her suddenly matter?

_It's not "other people". It's Duncan._ She thought to herself. She sighed.

"Tell me something, Veronica." Logan's voice said from very close. She opened her eyes, startled. "I mean, I've heard rumors but I didn't think it was true. But you really are heartless, aren't you?" her eyes narrowed at him and she stood up, refusing to be intimidated.

"What are you talking about, Logan?" She demanded.

"That little show you just put on for the entire school." He said. She stared at him, waiting for him to clarify. "Your new boytoy out there. Who is he?"

"None of your goddamn business." She flashed at him.

"God, Veronica, do you ever think of anyone but yourself?" He asked. His tone was harsh and she suddenly couldn't meet his eyes.

"Start making sense, Logan." She said.

"Duncan." Logan said. Veronica stared at him.

"He broke up with _me_. He went running to Meg as soon as-"

"She ended up in a coma?" Logan said, taking a step closer to her. He stared down at her. She dropped her eyes.

"Why do you care? You haven't spoken to him in weeks." She said.

"We're… we were friends for a long time." He said. "Just because you're mad at someone doesn't mean you stop caring about them." She looked back up at him, surprised. His eyes were liquid and there was an emotion in them she didn't want to see. "You of all people should know that." His voice was soft as he watched her reaction. She didn't know what to say. Her heart throbbed painfully as she stared at him.

"Hey, buddy? You might want to step away from her." Sam's voice was low, but there was no mistaking the threat. Logan glanced over to see Sam standing beside them, his face serious and his eyes hard.

"Or what?" Logan sneered. Sam flicked his eyes at Veronica and then back to Logan.

"Step away from her or you'll find out." Sam drawled the words a little, not taking his eyes off Logan. Logan grinned.

"Stop it." Veronica said. "Sam, this is Logan. Logan, this is Sam. My cousin." Logan turned sharply back to Veronica. He couldn't remember her ever mentioning a cousin.

"Logan?" Sam said. His eyes flicked to Veronica again and then back to Logan. "_Christo._" He said almost under his breath, but loud enough for Logan to hear. He watched Logan, his body tense.

"No, sasquatch, she said Logan." Logan said. "Who's Christo?" Veronica was looking at Sam, puzzled. He colored slightly.

"Nothing." He said. The tension between them was broken and Logan turned to walk away. He turned back deliberately, looking at Veronica.

"Hey, Ronnie?" He knew she hated it when he called her that. She gritted her teeth and looked at him. "Think about it, okay? You're not the only one hurting." And again, there was a flicker of emotion in his eyes that she didn't want to see. It was so much easier if she could just hate him. He walked away and turned the corner without looking back. Veronica didn't realize she'd clenched her hands into fists until Sam put a hand on her wrist. She opened her hands as the bell rang.

"are you okay?" He asked. She looked up at him. Tears were threatening to break, but she fought them back as the hallway filled with students. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard.

"Yeah, Sammy. I'll be okay." She said. After a moment she opened her eyes. "You better go." She said.

"I'm not leaving you here." He said. "Come on. I'll get you out for the afternoon."

"A jailbreak?" She said, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"You're not the only badass in 'our' family." He said. "Just point me to the school office." She walked with him a little ways down the hall and pointed out the office to him. She saw him square his shoulders and walk into the office with authority. She grinned. _He's a chameleon_, she thought. _A giant, floppy haired chameleon. _He spoke to the reception, listened to her response, and then leaned over the counter a little. From the way the reception melted a little towards him and smiled, she knew that he was convincing her to excuse Veronica for the afternoon. He walked back out of the office as the hallways cleared. Sam went to her.

"Stop smiling. Look shocked." He murmured. She put on a shocked expression. Sam put a hand on her shoulder and nodded, his face serious.

"Okay. I got you out on a family emergency." He said. They walked past the office, Sam throwing a nod to the receptionist through the window. They went back to the parking lot. As soon as they were in Veronica's car, she laughed.

"My dad's going to kill you." She said. He shrugged, but grinned. She started the car, leaving Neptune high behind her.

* * *

They'd spent the afternoon hanging out. She'd wanted to work on the case a little but Sam had insisted that there was nothing else they could do until he heard from Dean. So they'd driven around for a while, then decided to go to the beach. Sam was fun to be around. He teased her and joked with her and talked seriously about some things. She told him she was hoping to get into Stanford. If she won the Kane scholarship- the scholarship that the Kanes had set up in Lily's name- she could afford it. He told her a little about Stanford, professors he'd had and classes he'd taken and the activities he'd participated in. He didn't talk about his friends or Jess, it was still too painful. Bu he'd talked about how Stanford had been an escape, how he'd felt free for the first time in his life.

She didn't ask what he'd escaped from.

When they left the beach, they'd headed back to the Camelot. Technically Veronica should have headed to Mars Investigations, but she didn't want to. Keith would think she was studying. It was restful to be with Sam; he didn't expect anything of her and didn't push her to talk about things she didn't want to talk about. There was one thing she had to know, though.

"Sam, what are you and Dean investigating here? What is it my dad thinks he can't handle?" She asked him. They hadn't gotten out of the car yet. He glanced at her. Keith didn't want her to know, but he thought she should. She'd known some of the kids on the bus, her friend Meg was in the hospital. It was personal.

"It's going to sound crazy." He said. "Just… bear with me." So he told her what he and Dean did. They were demon hunters. They hunted down monsters, made the world safe. They dealt with ghosts, putting them to rest. They kept people ignorant of the truth because people didn't want to know the truth, were better off not knowing. He told her he and Dean had been fighting monsters practically their whole lives. Veronica wanted ot reject the idea, call him crazy, but she remembered the day of the bus crash. She thought she'd seen Lily run around the corner of the convenience store, and she'd followed, because it was _Lily_. The year before, when she'd been almost distraught with grief, she'd seen Lily, but had those had been memories and dreams. The day of the bus crash was something different. Besides, Keith believed them.

"Monsters, Sam? Demons?" she said, her voice quiet.

"I know. I _know_ how it sounds." He said. He hesitated, then went on. "My mom died when I was a baby. The police said it was a house fire, but… it was a monster. Something killed my mother. And then…" He paused again, gathering the courage to get it all out. "Then it took Jess. At Stanford." He watched her for a reaction. She turned to him, stunned.

"The fire at Stanford?" She said.

"Yeah. Jess died the same way my mom did. I saw it, Veronica. I couldn't…" He stopped. The pain in his eyes was unbearable. "I have to find it. Dad was looking for it and he disappeared. I have to find it and kill it." His words were cold and laced with pain. She put a hand on his arm. She understood completely. She'd been driven to find Lily's murderer, not believing for a moment that Able Koontz had done it.

"When you stayed with us, when we were kids…" She trailed off.

"Dad and Dean were hunting. I had to stay behind because I got hurt on the hunt before that." Sam said, his voice bitter. "I wasn't reliable."

"You were eleven." She said, her voice full of disapproval. He glanced at her. "What's wrong with your dad?" He didn't answer that. There were too many bitter and angry things he could say. Her hand fell away from his arm. Without looking, his hand found hers. He squeezed it gently, and she returned the pressure. Their eyes met and for a moment, they understood each other so completely it was like coming home. Then there was a loud rattle on the driver's side window and they let go of each other, startled.

Veronica rolled down the window and Dean's grinning face appeared.

"Hey guys." He said. "Shouldn't you be in school right now?"

"It's four o'clock, Dean." Sam said, annoyed. Dean shot him a superior look.

"Yeah. But funny thing happened." He said. "Keith called me and asked if you'd taken Veronica out of school today." Veronica and Sam exchanged a look. Dean's grin widened. "I covered your ass. I told him you needed her to help with research on the case. He said that's okay, but next time run it by him." Sam tried to look contrite, but Veronica caught his eye and they both laughed.

"Busted." She said. They moved towards their doors at the same time and got out of the car.

"Please tell me you found something out, though. Research was a bust." Dean said, his eyes flickering to Veronica.

"Yeah. The Echolls kid checked out. He's an asshole, but you know. Human." Sam said.

"Yeah, what _was_ that?" Veronica asked, remembering the weirdness between Sam and Logan.

"Dude, you told her?" Dean asked as he opened the door to their room. "Sammy. Keith is going to literally kill you dead." He held Sam's eyes for a moment, amused. Sam shrugged.

"She has to know, Dean. She can't help if she doesn't know." Sam defended himself. Dean nodded.

"Um. _She_ would like to know what the hell _Christo_ is." Veronica said. Dean threw himself down on a bed while Sam sat on the edge of the other one. Veronica sat beside him., waiting.

"Too easy." Dean muttered.

"What did you want me to do, draw a devil's trap or throw holy water at him? I was supposed to be incognito." Sam said. Dean glanced briefly at Veronica and she couldn't help grinning at him. He was doing it on purpose, getting Sam all worked up just for amusement. Sam caught the look passing between them, and then shook his head. "You're such a pain in the ass, Dean." He said, but he laughed.

"_Christo_ is the name of God in Latin. You say it around a demon, they react to it." Dean told Veronica. "So Logan checks out. The Kane girl checks out." Dean said. Veronica tensed. "We thought she might, you know, be haunting you. Or the school. Or something. But she's not." Dean said. Now Veronica shook her head.

"So that leaves us at square one." Sam said. Dean nodded, putting a hand over his eyes.

"Yeah. I don't know how you stare at a computer screen all day, Sammy. I have a headache." Dean said.

"You're supposed to take breaks." Veronica said. "So… Logan was a suspect?" Sam shrugged.

"Your dad thought he might be." He explained. Veronica nodded. Of course. Keith could easily believe that Logan was possessed. He'd never really liked Logan much.

"But. I did find sulphur near the crash site." Dean said. Sam looked at him.

"So we're still in this." Sam said. Veronica looked form one to the other Dean sat up, taking his hand away from his face.

"Sulphur?" She asked. She hated feeling like she was missing information. Dean explained that demons left sulphur traces when they possessed someone. There were definitely signs of supernatural foul play, but they had no idea which direction to go in. He asked her if she knew anyone who might be a suspect. A change in behavior, suddenly different personality. Someone acting out of character. She shrugged.

"Everyone. We're all grieving." She said. Duncan's face flashed in her head. She pushed the thought away. She didn't want Sam and Dean to think he was possessed. "It could be anyone, couldn't it?" Dean nodded.

"Okay. Enough work. I'm hungry." He said. He stood up and stretched. Veronica tried not to look, but she couldn't help it. His shirt rode up his stomach a little, revealing his abs. She tore her eyes away, only to find herself looking at his arms. Well defined muscles bulged a little as he stretched his arms. She tried not to think about touching him, running her hand up his arm to his shoulder, tried not to wonder how those muscles would feel under her hand. How warm his skin would be.

Sam leaned over and gave his brother a little shove. Dean, offended, swatted at him.

"What the hell, Sammy." He said in an injured tone.

"You know what." Sam said in a low voice. Dean glanced at Veronica, the corners of his mouth twitching. He lifted an eyebrow at her slightly and she felt herself grinning back at him again. _Show off,_ she thought, amused. He'd known she was watching him. A little payback for yesterday when she'd shot him down. She lifted one shoulder in a shrug, conceding him a point, and he grinned at her.

"_Dean._" Sam said reproachfully.

"_Yeah_, Sammy." He answered, not even a little bit sorry. "Veronica, what's good to eat here? To order in?"

"Cho's Pizza." She answered.

"Awesome." He glanced at her. "You staying for supper? Your dad said he had something to look into tonight, probably won't be back until late." He tried to sound casual, but Keith had told him that it wasn't safe for Veronica to be alone. She'd been shot at early in the summer. She'd been with Logan in his jeep, and Logan had probably been the real target, but still. Dean wasn't about to let her go off alone. And, knowing how Keith worried, she nodded. He shot her a warm, concerned smile. She smiled back. She glanced over to see a resigned look on Sam's face, though he smiled and threw an arm around her when he saw her looking, giving her another reassuring squeeze.

_I like these guys, _she thought. It was surprising.

* * *

Something watched Veronica leaving The Winchesters' room at the Camelot. It was late, she'd stayed with them the whole evening. They bickered a lot, but it was affectionate bickering. They'd watched the _Big Lebowski_ and then Dean insisted on a Swayze movie. Veronica had insisted on _Dirty Dancing_, Dean and Sam groaning at it but going along with it (and maybe enjoying a little more than they'd ever admit. She'd never tell anyone, but she smiled at the memory of Dean's little gasp when Johnny and Baby finally managed to do the lift- in front of a crowd, of course- at the very end. And he'd been misty-eyed when Johnny said "Nobody puts Baby in a corner"). The thing watching Veronica saw the smile and sneered. She got into her car and drove away, the thing following her taillights with its eyes until she was out of sight.

Cassidy Casablancas laughed softly in the cool night air. His eyes were completely black.


End file.
